New York Mets sign 1B Brandon Allen; invite him to MLB spring training

Amid the swirling the reports that the New York Mets could be jumping into the Robinson Cano race, the team made a move for a more “low-impact” infielder on Tuesday.

Anthony DiComo brings a bit of sarcasm to the table in his report, but the Mets officially tabbed first baseman Brandon Allen to a minor league contract that includes a MLB spring training invitation. For me, the move to acquire Allen, who is a former top prospect, does shed a little bit of light on the team’s unhappiness with incumbent 1B Ike Davis, but in the end, it’s probably not terribly noteworthy.

Allen has 389 big-league plate appearances in his career, but he has yet to take advantage of them by producing in a similar way to what he did in the minors. His .203/.290/.375 slash line indicates that he has a bit of pop and has the ability to draw walks, but the lack of a “hit tool” is concerning at this level, and there’s probably a reason that he’s bounced around to 3 different organizations before the age of 27.

I don’t think Ike Davis has too much to worry about (at least not in the form of Allen) just yet, but it wouldn’t be a shock to see Allen on the opening day roster in New York.